Considering gender differences in personality traits as a risk factor for AUDs, Caspi and colleagues (1996) found that 3-year-old boys who were identified as having problems with behavioral control and impulsivity were at an increased risk for alcoholism and alcohol-related problems at age 21; however, this same pattern was not found for girls. In contrast, Martin, Lynch, Pollock, and Clark (2000) specifically investigated whether behavioral undercontrol and negative affectivity were differentially associated with alcohol use in adolescent boys and girls. Although they found that males scored significantly higher on behavioral undercontrol and significantly lower on negative affectivity, increases in both characteristics were associated with increased alcohol involvement of both boys and girls during adolescence. The authors therefore purport that these personality traits operate similarly in girls and boys during early development. However, as adolescents age, the impact of gender-specific environmental factors (e.g., parental monitoring and gender-specific cultural values) have increased influence over emotional and behavioral regulation (e.g., Hawkins, Catalano, & Miller, 1992; Sher, 1991).
